Two

"Lucius. Your letter sounded rather serious." Arthur said, shaking Lucius' hand.

"It is, I'm afraid. Do you remember our seventh year, when I told you we could no longer be friends?"

Arthur nodded. "Of course, I was rather astonished. You'd always said you had hated Death Eaters and then you became one. I spent weeks researching memory potions and personality changes. Nothing fit."

"That's because I haven't been under the influence of a potion or a spell. Let me tell you the background information of the year leading up to seventh before you judge me, however."

Arthur nodded. "Of course."

"My father was, as you well know, a pureblood supremacist. Because my mother would not allow him to, he had never made me become a Death Eater. She was very straight laced, you know, but Mother did not believe that muggleborns or half-bloods were really beneath us. She was a wonderful woman." Lucius blinked rapidly before continuing. "The summer before our seventh year, my mother was killed and Father gained full control of me. He declared me a Death Eater two nights after her death. I stopped being friends with you, Arthur, my best friend because I knew you would be in danger if I'd kept our friendship."

"What has changed, then? What's happened that's changed you courses? Lucius, I know you. You never do something unless you're sure it won't put anyone you care about in danger."

"For those of you that aren't aware, my family is among the last of the Dragon Shifter Clans. This means that I'm able to transform into a dragon at will. Before our seventeenth birthday, we find our Mate. It's a process that's easy enough but our mate determines our future. My Mate was Narcissa Black. She came from a Dark family, though she wasn't dark herself. My son has found his mate and, though his mate is both a rare choice and rather unusual, it's given us hope."

"Wait he's not allowed to choose his own Mate?" Hermione asked.

"No. I'm not exactly unhappy with my mate, however. He's the choice I would have made for myself, to be fully honest." Draco said, voice quiet.

"Who is it?" Ron Weasley asked, voice strangely devoid of malice.

"Harry Potter." Asterion said, a lilt of teasing in his voice.

"Asterion, I'd prefer it if you'd let me tell my Mate myself." Draco said, giving his brother a dark look.

"You'd do it to me if you knew who my Mate was."

"You have no clue who your mate even is, Asterion."

"I do now."

The strange gasp his brother had given at the sight of Hermione made sense to Draco suddenly. He glanced at her, eyes wide, and then back at his brother.

"No. It isn't." He started.

"You've guessed correctly, dear brother."

"Wait a second here. We're all missing something, I believe." Harry stated, eyes wide.

Lucius smiled. "Forgive my sons. They forget their manners."

"Lucius has always been big on manners. Even in school, he was always on me about keeping my manners." Arthur said, smiling at his best friend.

"I can't believe you were friends with a Malfoy, dad."

"Lucius is and was my best friend. I knew there was a reason he was being different. I just didn't know the reason, so I went along with his act. I pretended we'd always hated each other so that he would be safe. I knew that, if he was pretending to hate me of all people, he was in danger."

Lucius smiled. "This generation of Malfoy is a good generation. Narcissa and I raised them both to be good men. They may wear a mask in public...but they are decent men."

"Which reminds me." Draco faced the Weasley family. Particularly Ron and Hermione.

"I'm sorry I was such a jerk to you all. It was just a mask. I would never really act that way."

"We believe you. And... what was that about me being your Mate?" Harry said quietly.

"Simply put, you're my mate. My soul mate. The other half of myself."

"What does it mean?"

Draco grinned. "It means you're a Dragon Shifter now, for one."

"Really?"

"Yes. You'll change with me on my seventeenth birthday."

"I didn't even realize I was gay..."

Ron snorted. "Harry, if you insist on telling such horrible lies I'm afraid I'll have to laugh."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Okay, well, maybe I did."

Asterion smiled. "Father, it seems my Mate is here as well. I saw her as I walked in."

"Ah. Which one?"

"Miss... I believe her surname is Granger."

"She does suit you, Asterion. Hermione is rather smart. Smarter than me for sure. Though she is a Gryffindor." Draco said.

Asterion smiled at her. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Granger. I am Asterion Malfoy, heir to the house Black and your mate."

Hermione blushed. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you."

Asterion stood and took her hand. "Father, I want to take her to the Manor. Show her to Severus and see if he approves."

"He'll approve, Ast. Hermione is his favorite student."

"Snape likes me?" Hermione burst out.

Draco and Asterion laughed. "Go with Ast. He'll show you. Severus is a very different man in private."

"I think I will." she said.

She hugged Ron and then Harry before letting Asterion apparate her away. Draco smiled at Harry.

"I'll take you to the Manor later. You're one of Severus' favorites as well but not because of your grades." he told him.

"I thought he hated me."

"No. He...all I can tell you is that your mum was his best friend. He couldn't hate you if he tried. He'll tell you the rest, I'm sure."

"How did you know all this?"

"He told me. Asterion and I are close with Severus. Always have been."

"I didn't even know you had an older brother, come to think of it."

Draco rolled his eyes. "A lot of people don't. Up until now, we had to act as though we weren't close in public. We had to wear what Father calls the Malfoy Mask."

"Will that change now that we're...Mated?"

Draco nodded. "We can be ourselves without fearing Voldemort too much. I mean, we'll still fear him. But we can now ally ourselves with the Light."

"How does that work?" Ron asked.

"It's simple, really. Our allegiance is tethered to our Mate. If our Mate comes from a Dark family, then our family will be Dark as well. Since my Mate is Light, our family is now Light as well."

Harry smiled a little. "To be perfectly honest, I'm not too unhappy with our situation either. I've always liked you."

Draco was astounded. "What do you mean? I'm a prat."

Harry nodded. "Yes, but you're a handsome prat."

Ron shoved Harry's shoulder. "Which made all the difference to this prat."

Harry grinned. "Yeah, that's true. It did make all the difference to me."

Draco smiled. "I'm really glad you said that. I was so scared that I was going to have to use my charm and good looks to sway you. And I don't have much of either."

Ron grinned, giving a shocked sounding laugh. "I might just like this version of you." He told Draco.

Draco grinned. "Many people do. Though not all of them are pleasant people. Parkinson, for instance, is the most revolting creature I've ever met."

"Draco, be nice." Lucius chided. But it was half-hearted and Draco could see the smile in his father's eyes.

Draco grinned. "She is revolting, though." He said.

Lucius nodded. "As was her mother. Lucinda Parkinson was originally Lucinda Goyle, Gregory Goyle Senior's younger sister. She had a massive crush on me all throughout school. Thankfully, our parents detested each other and her father wouldn't hear of even approaching mine for a marriage contract."

Draco hummed. "Did she follow you everywhere and call you by horrid nicknames? Pansy calls me Drakey. Blaise thinks it's the most hilarious thing ever."

Lucius shuddered. "Lucinda liked to call me Lucy. Until Narcissa and I fell in love, at least. Your mother caught her calling me Lucy and stepped in, thank Merlin. Lucinda got out of the hospital wing three days later and wouldn't even look at me for fear that Narcy would attack her again."

Harry smiled. "I'll scare Parkinson away for you, Draco. I've never liked the bitch in the first place."

Draco smiled at his Mate. "You're a Saint." He said, causing Ron to laugh.

"Is this what it means to be in love, then?" he asked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh come off it Ron. You've been after Daphne Greengrass since third year."

Draco looked to Ron, who was now blushing as dark as his hair. "Daphne wouldn't be revolted by you, you know. She might say yes if you asked her to Hogsmeade one weekend. Just…don't take her to Madam Puddifoot's. She thinks that place is horrible." He told the redhead.

"Really?" Ron looked surprised.

"Really. As beautiful as Daphne is, she's also very down to earth. She had a thing with Blaise last year but they ended things rather early because they felt better off as friends. She'll give pretty much anyone a chance."

"You should go for it, Ron." Harry told his best friend, grinning widely.

"I think I will. Thanks Draco."

"You're welcome."

"Speaking of friends, how are your Slytherin friends going to react to this?" Harry asked Draco.

Draco smiled softly. "I only really have four friends in Slytherin, believe it or not. Blaise Zabini is actually on the side of the light. His mum passed away this summer and he took on the helm of Zabini Patriarch. He's got three younger brothers; the triplets will come to Hogwarts this year. He wrote me this summer and told me that he's already met with Dumbledore. He's joined the Order of the Phoenix and will be fighting for the Light. Then we have Theodore Nott. Unlike Blaise, Theo's dad is a Death Eater. He turned seventeen already and he's staying with Blaise. He also joined the Order and he's proud of it. Bit of a bookworm but he's also a fighter. Daphne, of course. The Greengrass family is normally neutral but Alphonse Greengrass, her father, has made the decision to side with the Light this time. Daphne said he's uncertain as to whether or not he'll join the Order but she definitely plans on it. And then we have Astoria Greengrass. She's Daphne's younger sister and she's kind of everyone's kid sister. She can hold her own and she's bloody scary when she's pissed off…but we all protect her when we can. Drives her nuts."

Harry smiled. "I think I've spoken to Theo. He's the one with dark brown hair and glasses right? Kind of a jumpy little thing?"

Draco laughed at hearing Theo described that way. "Yeah. That's Theo. He's a little jumpy sometimes but he's a good guy. He can usually be found in the library, however. He's friends with Hermione as well, though I used to think that was a little weird."

"Speaking of Hermione, what's your brother like?" Ron asked.

Draco smiled at the obvious protectiveness in the redhead's voice. "He's a good bloke. Smarter than everyone else I know and he's the king of sarcasm. You also don't want to piss him off. The last person who did ended up in St. Mungo's for a week."

"Who managed to piss your brother off that much?" Harry asked, looking shocked.

Draco understood that shock. Asterion was very hard to piss off. Especially to the point where he'd attack you. Normally, he'd just give you a verbal thrashing and leave. But Marcus Flint had managed what most had always believed impossible and had been thoroughly punished for it. Draco shuddered at the memory.

"Two years ago, during the summertime, the Flints had come to visit us. Neither Mother or Father like the Flint family but they had to keep up appearances. Marcus was a few years older than me but Asterion had locked himself in the library and Father knew he was busy with pretty important things so he told me to entertain Marcus for a bit. We were playing a game of Snitch-Seek and Marcus was… bragging about something he'd done. I took offense to the idea of rape and Marcus began to berate me for it. We got into a fight and he sent a dark curse at me. I was about thirty feet in the air and I fell off my broom. Thankfully, Asterion had heard me scream and rushed to a window. He got me safely to the ground and then came outside. When I told him what Marcus had done, Asterion… well, let's just say he wasn't at all happy. He didn't even give Marcus a chance to defend himself before he started attacking him. By the time I managed to call our parents out there, Asterion had reduced Marcus to a blubbering, bleeding mess. Needless to say, Father kicked the Flint's out of the house and forbade them from returning."

Lucius glared. "Bathilda Flint tried to make me pay for her brat's medical bills. Our lawyers saw to it that we didn't pay a dime."

Harry was appalled. "I always thought that Marcus Flint was a bit of a douchebag but that's just… wrong. How could anyone rape someone?"

Draco shrugged. "Asterion went to great lengths to figure out who Marcus' victim had been so that we could help him."

"Who…who was it?" Ron asked, his voice shaky.

"Oliver Wood. Oliver was a few years older than me but he and Asterion were pretty good friends. Asterion was crushed when he found out about it. Turns out that Oliver didn't tell anyone about it. Asterion paid a private Healer to look at Oliver and make sure he was all right."

Harry shuddered. "Oliver was one of the best people I know. The very idea of someone doing…that to him is disgusting."

Draco nodded. "Thankfully, Oliver has a long term boyfriend who's been helping him through the whole ordeal."

Along the table, Percy Weasley blushed madly. "Since today seems to be the day of confessions, I'll just come out and say it. I've been dating Oliver Wood since seventh year." He said.

Molly Weasley looked up from the conversation she was currently having with Lucius and Arthur. "You'll invite him to dinner immediately." She said.

Lucius nodded. "That's a splendid idea, Molly. Why don't we host this dinner at Malfoy Manor? Not only will it give Narcy a reason to plan a party, I'll be able to speak with Percy about the business opportunity I've been looking to start."

"What sort?" Percy asked, interested immediately.

Lucius smiled. "I'm looking to build a wizarding housing complex. Complete with a shopping center and all. There is so much that needs to go into it. Asterion remembered you from school and said that you would be a good person to approach. I fear I'm not all that great at research and statistics myself."

"I'd love to speak with you about it. I'm afraid I'm growing bored at the Ministry. Their research department is sorely lacking and it's headed by Salvador Umbridge, Delores' Umbridge's older brother."

Lucius made a face. "Salvador isn't the most pleasant person around."

Harry looked at him. "Umbridge is worse." He put out his hand, showing them all the scars on the back of it. "She made me do that with something called a Blood Quill last year." He said.

Draco's face reddened furiously. "She used a Blood Quill on you?" he demanded.

Even Lucius looked a little outraged. "Those have been outlawed in Britain for the better part of a century. She should never have had access to one."

"I didn't know that." Harry said, stunned by the information.

"She did. Minister Fudge passed the law against them two years ago. Umbridge had just gotten into office when he passed it and she helped with most of the paperwork." Arthur said, glancing at Harry's hand.

Draco growled. "We've got to do something about her. She's gone too far this time. Way too far." He said.

Lucius lay a hand on his son's arm. "We'll do something but you cannot do anything rash. I know how hard it is to repress your protective instincts but you must. We cannot do anything to anger a high ranking official like Umbridge."

Draco glowered at his father. "She hurt my mate!" he said, looking once more at the scars on Harry's arm.

Harry lay a hand on his arm. "Draco, calm down. It was last year. You didn't even like me then."

Draco glared at him. "I did too! I just wasn't able to tell you because our family was still technically dark. If Voldemort were to find out that I cared about you, I would have been dead. My entire family would have been dead."

Lucius nodded. "Draco never wanted to act the way he did, Harry. It was simply necessary for our survival."

Harry stared at him. "So…you've never hated me?"

Draco rolled his grey eyes. "No, Harry. I've never hated you. Did you annoy me at times? Merlin, yes. But I never, ever hated you."

"I didn't exactly hate you either. I mean, I thought you were a bit of a bully and you made me want to hex you more often than not. But I didn't hate you."

Ron snorted. "No, you were too busy trying to not be killed by Voldemort and his goons."

"Though, to be fair, in First Year we thought it was Snape trying to kill me." Harry pointed out, causing Lucius to laugh.

"Oh wait until he finds out about that. He's going to cry with laughter." Lucius chortled.

"Why will he think that's so funny?" Harry asked.

A feminine voice answered him. "An old argument between Severus and your mother."

Turning, Draco watched his mother walk gracefully across the lawn. Behind her, Severus was walking with Hermione and Asterion. Lucius conjured a chair beside him and his wife sat down, kissing him on the cheek as she went.

Severus was rolling his eyes as he sat down. Looking at Harry he said, "Your mother was a delightful woman. Stubborn, bossy, and ridiculously intelligent but delightful."

"What was your argument about?" Harry asked, wondering how Snape – Severus – had known his mother.

"Lily, who always thought it rather hilarious that people actually feared me, once told me that she would be telling any children she would have that I was a giant teddy bear. In return, I told her – jokingly of course – that I would threaten murder on any little brats that called me a teddy bear." Severus said, a small fond smile appearing on his face.

Narcissa laughed. "Lily didn't speak to him for weeks. And when she finally did start speaking to him, she told him that if he ever so much as hinted at murdering children she would castrate his funny little ass."

Harry's eyes were wide. "My mother said something like that?"

Severus nodded. "Oh yes. Lily was quite the spitfire. In her death, people like to focus on her gentle, motherly side. But there was far more to Lily than that."

Lucius smiled. "He's right about that. I was a year above your parents and Severus but I remember them quite well. There was one time in particular that I always laughed at that I've longed to tell you about simply because you'll laugh."

Harry smiled, wanting to hear more about his mother. "What is it?"

"In my fourth year, your mother's third, she and James Potter did not get along."

Severus rolled his eyes. "They didn't get along until the beginning of Seventh Year, Luc."

"Quite right. Anyways, we were in the Great Hall at breakfast and Severus had joined your mother at Gryffindor table. This was their routine, of course. They would switch off days. One day they would sit at Gryffindor and the next Slytherin. James almost always had something cruel to say when they were at Gryffindor table. This day, he decided to sit right in front of Severus and taunt him. Severus had amazing control of his temper but your mother was another story. About halfway through lunch, James called Severus a Death Eater in training and infuriated your mother so much that she turned him into a girl."

Harry couldn't believe it. "She... she did what?"

"She turned him into a girl. It's a rather complex charm that Lily found in a banned book she'd confiscated from me. I was so surprised when she used it that I didn't stop staring at her all day. James was angrier at her than I've ever seen him." Severus replied, laughing.

Lucius grinned at Harry. "The charm lasted a week and your mother didn't stop smirking about it the entire time. It earned her some points with the Slytherins, I'll tell you."

Narcissa laughed. "Ravenclaw was already in awe of her. After that incident, Lily Evans was damn near a Goddess in our house."

Before Harry could reply, there was the sudden sound of apparition. Draco glanced up and saw that Albus Dumbledore stood before them, his beard blowing in the gentle breeze. What on earth did the old man want? While he respected the Headmaster, Draco did not exactly like the man. He knew that Harry had been abused and, more so, that Dumbledore himself had known about it. Not only that but there were several Slytherins who were badly abused at their homes who had gone to him for help. They were denied help from the one man who could possibly have helped them. Yes, Draco was by no means a Dumbledore fanboy. Still, he curbed his urge to hex the old man and watched him approach with a wary eye.